This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field which merges biology and computer sciences. This course emphasizes how to use computational tools to solve significant biological/biomedical problems. This is a hands-on, practical approach to analyze large molecules, to infer the structure, physiological function and evolutionary history. Various computational tools and biological/biomedical databases will be introduced. Students will + gain knowledge of various biological/biomedical databases. + know how to apply various computational tools to address fundamental biological/biomedical problems + understand basic principles underlying computational approaches, limitations